Report: Georgia on track to exceed medical residency goal

A state report says that Georgia's on track to exceed its goal for expanding opportunities for young doctors, but still lags behind national and southeastern averages for medical residents.

January 14, 2019 at 11:06 AM EST - Updated January 14 at 1:56 PM

ATLANTA (AP) - A state report says that Georgia's on track to exceed its goal for expanding opportunities for young doctors, but still lags behind national and southeastern averages for medical residents.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts finds that rural medical residencies remain scarce. Many doctors stay where they served residencies.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports the 262 new residencies are mostly in north Georgia and metropolitan areas.

Four years ago, Georgia had 1,842 medical residencies. The University System of Georgia began work to create 400 new positions by 2025. The report says a total of 613 new positions are planned by then.

Georgia last year had about 21 medical residencies per 100,000 state residents. The national average is 34 and the southeastern average is nearly 28.